Player of the Week 10/21/15

Emmett Tela takes a knee during a game. (Gabe Cerritos / The Signpost)

Emmett Tela

Year: Sophomore

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 225 lbs

Hometown: Provo, Utah

With a game-changing fumble recovery and interception, sophomore linebacker Emmett Tela is this week’s Signpost Student-Athlete of the Week.

Trailing 24-19 in the fourth quarter to University of North Dakota, Emmett Tela gave the Wildcats a major momentum shift when he knocked the ball loose from the hands of North Dakota quarterback Ryan Bartels and recovered the fumble to give Weber State possession in the red zone. Two plays later, Weber State took a 25-24 lead when sophomore quarterback Jadrian Clark completed a pass to junior tight end Cody Eyolfson for the touchdown.

Less than five minutes after forcing and recovering the fumble, Tela made his first career interception and returned it for 13 yards to seal the Wildcats’ win.

Along with the interception and the fumble, Tela also led Wildcat defenders with 10 tackles and a sack against North Dakota.

This year, Tela leads the team in tackles averaging 8.3 per game. Tela is currently 15th in the Big Sky Conference in tackles per game.

Tela and the Wildcats travel on the road this weekend as they look to extend their winning streak to three games when they face off against Northern Arizona University on Saturday night. The Wildcats are currently 3-1 in the Big Sky Conference and are in third place in the conference standings.